


you make me feel like a fool

by clicheusername5678



Category: She-Ra and the Princesses of Power (2018)
Genre: Alcohol Abuse, Angst with a Happy Ending, Drunk Adora, F/F, Lawyers AU, Mid-20's, Sharing a Bed, adora goes to a bachelorette party and catra is the cocktail waitress, bitter exes fall back in love
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-09-02
Updated: 2019-09-02
Packaged: 2020-10-05 08:02:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,603
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20485550
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/clicheusername5678/pseuds/clicheusername5678
Summary: Adora and Catra haven't talked since their explosive breakup a year ago. Adora's off at Bright Moon law firm with new friends and a new apartment... but Etheria City is small, and they're bound to cross paths again.





	you make me feel like a fool

**Author's Note:**

> don't be stupid with alcohol

The night started with a group selfie. Adora, Mermista, Perfuma, and Glimmer posed together, their faces illuminated by the pink and red neon lighting outside the bar. They wore matching blue t-shirts that read “I Am Attending Mermista’s Bachelorette Party” and grinned wide in anticipation of the wild night proceedings ahead.

“Okay, everyone,” Glimmer giggled, holding out her phone. “Smile! I said _smile_, Mermista, it’s your party. And Adora, could you just—not blink—seriously…”

Adora scrunched up her nose and held her eyes wide open, even though it probably made her look crazed. After a minute of attempted shots, Glimmer finally got a shot she deemed appropriate, tucking her phone in her pocket for later use. 

“Now that that’s done,” she said, heading to the bar’s front door, “shall we?”

“Hell yeah,” Mermista said, leading the way. “I’ve been wanting to go here for months.”

The blue-haired accountant led the way inside. Before the host at the stand could even speak, Mermista flashed him a shit-eating grin and pointed at her shirt.

“Oh, yes, party of four for Mermista,” he said, amused. He led the group into the lounge, a dimly-lit space with modern décor and a live DJ. Small tables and booths were peppered around the main floor and a long bar spanned along the far wall. The place was crowded, which made sense for a Saturday night—but sure enough, there was a booth in the corner with Mermista’s name on it.

Literally, on it.

“Ooooh, surprise!” Perfuma exclaimed. On the table were mermaid-themed party hats and balloons, as well as several bags of the puffed cheese snack Pirate’s Booty.

Mermista rolled her eyes as she took her place at the table. “You guyyyyyys…” she groaned.

“You love us,” Adora teased, sitting down with the rest of the group. “So… what makes this place so special? It just seems like a bar with extra steps.”

“It’s cool,” Glimmer said. “I like the music.”

“Are these vegan?” Perfuma asked, reading the nutrition facts on the back of a Pirate’s Booty bag.

Adora sighed and rested her head in her hands. She loved her friends, but it was strange how they all came together, ending up at the same party in an Etheria City bar. She had actually met Mermista through her friendship with Sea Hawk, Mermista’s fiancé and Adora’s old building super (the worst ever—he set his own apartment on fire once a month). Adora had then introduced Mermista to Glimmer, Adora’s co-worker at the Bright Moon law firm, and the three of them formed a little group. Then, a few months ago, Mermista’s amicable ex Perfuma returned to the city from her soul-searching journey to a country Adora always forgot, and made her way into the squad, too. Normally they all hung out with Bow, Glimmer’s boyfriend, as well, but he was currently attending Sea Hawk’s bachelor party across town.

So much had changed in Adora’s life in the past year. All these new friends, a new job, a new apartment… but she was managing it. She was succeeding at Bright Moon, making serious bank, paying off her loans from law school. She was happy—really.

“They’re not vegan, they have cheese,” Mermista told Perfuma, popping a bag open and tossing a few puffs in her mouth.

“Hey, Mermista,” Glimmer giggled, “are you eating Sea Hawk’s Pirate’s Booty?”

Mermista groaned and elbowed the pink-haired woman, who retaliated by throwing a balled-up cocktail napkin in her direction. Adora and Perfuma ugly-laughed at the whole exchange.

An hour later into the night the girls had gone through two rounds of drinks, Mermista preferring anything blue, Glimmer going for the most complicated thing on the menu, Perfuma having some weird plant-fiber slushie, and Adora sticking with her usual rum and coke. They were laughing about Mermista’s wedding menu (all seafood), Sea Hawk’s weird aunt insisting that Mermista is going to leave Sea Hawk for Perfuma, and the rehearsal dinner’s location on Mermista’s family yacht.

“Be careful, Sea Hawk’s gonna try to set it on fire,” Glimmer giggled, throwing back her glass of water in between sips of booze.

Mermista groaned. “Ughhhhhh, he _will_…”

The music in the lounge suddenly tapered out, replaced by an announcement from the DJ.

“Who wants some shots?” he called into the crowd. His question was met with general enthusiasm as several cocktail waitresses emerged from behind the bar, each holding a long bottle with a spout for pouring shots on top. Each waitress held a different-colored concoction, grinning as they made their way to the tables and booths.

Adora raised an eyebrow as a blonde cocktail waitress holding a lime-green bottle approached the next booth over. Four dudes, college-aged, looked her up and down in her tight black shirt and tiny apron. She batted her lashes and brought the spout of the glass right to one of the guys’ lips, never breaking eye contact as she poured.

“Holy shit,” Adora said, turning back to her group. She could tell her face was red.

“You good, Adora?” Glimmer asked.

“Yeah, no, I’m great,” Adora said, taking a sip of her drink. She refused to look back at the booth.

“Aw, Adora’s lonely,” Mermista teased. “Girl, why haven’t you gotten yourself out there?”

“There’s a woman at my yoga class who’d be perfect for you,” Perfuma added. “Her number is—haha, I don’t remember it.”

“Don’t worry about me,” Adora said. “I’m just focusing on other stuff right now. Work and friends.”

“Yeah, but it _is_ kinda lame you don’t have a date for my wedding,” Mermista said. Adora blushed.

“I just, uh—”

“Heyyy, Adora,” said a voice behind her back, dry and teasing and familiar. Adora whipped her head to face the last person she wanted to see—her ex-girlfriend, Catra.

She looked the same as she did one year ago, when Adora left her at the Horde law firm for better prospects at Bright Moon. They had joined the Horde together out of law school at the request of their mentor and former Professor Weaver, and only a few months into the job, Adora piqued Angella Bright’s interest with her casework. Bright Moon was an expensive and exclusive private firm, while the Horde were public defenders—with student loans and lofty aspirations, there was no way Adora could have said no.

But Catra didn’t understand. She was jealous, and angry, and treated Adora like a stranger—or, even worse, her enemy. They had been dating since they were undergrads. Adora had tried to get Catra a job at Bright Moon too, but that seemed to offend her even more.

Adora moved out and Catra didn’t seem to want to keep in touch. So they hadn’t for the past year.

But now here she was—messy hair and devilish smile and tight black tank top. But there was something different in her expression: a coldness, even hatred. Adora knew the loving Catra, the trickster, her touchy affectionate girlfriend… not the cocktail waitress she faced today.

“Yeah, ladies, get those shots!” the DJ enthused from the booth, pointing to Mermista’s party. Glimmer, Perfuma, and Mermista, unaware of Adora and Catra’s shared past, cheered. 

Catra grinned like she shoved the canary in an industrial blender with some vodka and drank it in one gulp. She lifted the bottle of blue liquid and sauntered her over way to Mermista.

“I’m getting married tomorrow!” Mermista said, pointing to her t-shirt.

“That’s very nice,” Catra said, already raising the bottle. The blue-haired woman opened her mouth wide and Catra poured in the booze, making sure to glance at Adora across the table for just a second.

Mermista gulped it all down and pounded her chest. “HELL yeah!”

“My turn,” Glimmer giggled, holding out her empty glass. “Fill ‘er up, please.”

Catra did as told and then turned to Perfuma.

“Is that vegan?” she asked, crossing her arms over her chest.

“Perfuma, just drink it or don’t,” Adora hissed, growing overwhelmed. Catra turned to her and made a mocking sad face.

“Aw,” she teased, “someone’s having a rough night.”

“I’m having a great night. With my friends,” Adora said stiffly. For a moment Catra’s expression fell, shifting from a smug grin to hurt to angry… and then back to smug. Somehow smug-_er_.

“Maybe this’ll lighten you up,” Catra purred, making her advance. She leaned in close—too close—as she lifted the spout of the bottle to Adora’s pursed lips.

Eyes wide, stunned, Adora had no choice but to let it happen. Catra had one hand on the bottle while another tilted her chin lightly upwards, her nails pressing into the flesh.

Catra’s heterochromatic glare transfixed her. Adora burned like one of Sea Hawk’s famous popcorn fires.

“Drink up,” Catra said slowly. “People are starting to watch.”

It felt humiliating, even though it wasn’t. Even though none of these strangers, not even Adora’s closest friends, knew what it meant. And Catra seemed to be enjoying every second.

Adora blinked slowly and opened her mouth, allowing Catra to pour the shot inside. She slammed it shut and swallowed, feeling chills as Catra’s hand left her chin.

“Good job,” Catra said sarcastically. “Enjoy your party, princess.”

And with that, she made a bee-line for the bar, into the shadows, out of sight.

But certainly not out of mind, as Adora sat red as a tomato, eyes wide and face crestfallen.

“So, that was weird,” Mermista said.

Glimmer nodded. “Wanna talk about it?”

Adora shook her head and threw back the rest of her rum and coke. “Fuck, no,” she said. “But I’d love another drink.”


End file.
